How can I repair damaged hair?

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How can I repair damaged hair? It’s a question we’ve all asked. Whether it was after a bad at home bleaching, an amazingly sunny (but hair hating) holiday or straightening hair whilst it’s still a little damp (please no), hair damage happens to even the most careful of us. If your hair’s reaching breaking point, see our guide below on how you can repair damaged hair and restore it to its former glory.

How to tell I if I have damaged hair?

Before we get into how to repair the damage, let’s talk about how to identify it. It may seem obvious, but you’re anything like us it takes your hairdresser pointing out the damage before you really accept you’ve got a problem. However, if you notice a change in your hair early enough, it will be easier to repair problem before it gets too extreme for help.

A lack of shine

Damaged hair lacks that beautiful shine we all desire, instead having a brittle, straw like appearance. With damaged hair, you will notice that there is no shine even after a deep conditioning treatment.

Split Ends

The most obvious sign of damage, split ends. A quick test, take a bit of your hair and gently twist it. Take a look at the very end of the strands. If the ends are split in two (or more, eek!), your hair is damaged.

Dryness

Dry hair isn’t always damaged, but damaged hair is always dry. Damaged cuticles are unable to hold in moisture, so if your hair looks dry no matter how many deep treatments you put it through, your suffering with damaged hair.

Lack of Elasticity

Every hair strand has a little stretch to it before it snaps. For those of you with damaged hair, your strands are a lot less than a healthy, therefore lack this elasticity. Meaning, if your hair snaps very easily, it is likely that it is damaged.

You’re tangled

Sleek, smooth and shiny hair has sleek, smooth and shiny cuticles. When your hair is damaged, these cuticles become rough, causing hair to tangle and knot. The dryness of damaged hair makes it hard to get these tangles out, leading to breakage…

Breakage

This one is pretty obvious. If your hair snaps while you comb it or even just run your fingers through it, it’s damaged.

Frizz, frizz, frizz

As the cuticle of your hair gets damaged it can lift, meaning that it is much easier for moisture to pass. If this moisture collects in the hair shaft, it starts to swell, making your hair frizzy.

How Can I Repair Damaged Hair?

Okay, so you’ve identified that you really do have a hair problem. So how can you repair damaged hair when it seems as if it’s reached breaking point?

Get a Trim

If you’re anything like us a trim is something you try to put off for as long as possible. However, if you’ve got severely damaged hair with a lot of split ends a quick trim is your best bet.

This doesn’t mean you have to go for the big chop, a light trim can do wonders for your hair, result in it growing longer and healthier and give the appearance of thicker strands, all whilst removing that unwanted damage.

Style carefully

Tight buns, super detailed fishtail braids or sleek pony tails can all cause damage to your hair. If you’re worried about damaged hair, it can be a good idea to give your hair a bit of a break.

If you still want to keep your hair off of your face our favourite damage proof styles include messy buns, loose braids and chic chignons. These all work to give your gorgeous up-dos without the damage.

Choose the right products

It’s time to play cupid for your hair! If you have damaged hair, the shampoo and conditioner you choose can make all the difference to repair damaged hair.

We like our straighteners, curlers and hair dryer as much as the next girl, but if you’re using them all on maximum heat, they will be contributing to hair damage. If you’re looking to really revive damaged strands, you’ll need to go au-naturel for a little while and try to only use heat tools for special occasions until your hair is in better condition.

If you are going to blow dry your hair, go for a cooler temperature and don’t blast the heat too close to the hair for too long and make sure to never pull the hair hard.

Use a silk pillowcase

If you’re prone to waking with super tangled tresses, your tossing and turning could be causing to friction damage to the hair shaft. Invest in a silk pillowcase to reduce the damage to your hair (plus they’ve been known to be anti-ageing.

Watch your bag straps

This sounds like a weird one, but if you’re carrying heavy bags around, especially satchels, they can tug on your hair, which can snap it at the back of your neck and cause further unwanted breakage. Try using a bag with short handles to ensure you’re not causing unwanted stress to your tresses.

Eat well

Eat your way to healthy hair! We’ve said this before but it’s true, the health of your tresses is directly connected to your diet. To keep your hair in the very best condition you need to eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits, veg, proteins and vitamins. Want details on the perfect diet to repair damaged hair? Take a read of our healthy hair diet!